Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

A church dating mainly to the 13th century with 14th-century work, the south porch and east end of the chancel added in the 15th century. The building was repaired in 1796 and underwent interior restoration and reseating in 1876–7. It is constructed of coursed squared ironstone with lead roofs.

The church comprises a chancel, north chancel, vestry, nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west tower.

The chancel is of three bays and has a four-light Perpendicular east window with a buttress below and offset diagonal buttresses to the angles. A three-light Perpendicular window lights the north side, and another serves the vestry. The vestry has a small paned leaded east window with a rectangular chamfered surround and a two-light Perpendicular west window with straight head, along with an angle buttress. A plain stone coped parapet runs along the top, and a semicircular stepped stone-roofed projection occupies the angle between the south-west corner and the chancel. To the south, the chancel displays a three-light Perpendicular window at the south-east, a priest's door to its left with chamfered stone surround and pointed arched head framed by an outer arch on shafts bearing stiff-leaf capitals, and nailhead decoration arch with hood mould continued rightward as a string course. At the south-west is a three-light low side window with intersecting tracery and arched lights with cut spandrels below the transom.

The nave features a clerestory with three leaded windows to north and south. Lead rainwater heads and pipes flank either side; the heads to the south are dated 1798 and 1796.

The north aisle has a three-light east window with flowing tracery and two three-light north windows with intersecting tracery positioned east of the north door. A two-light window with cusped tracery sits west of the door, and another at the west end. Diagonal buttresses brace the angles. The north door has an inner arch with sunk quadrant moulding and a hollow-chamfered outer arch.

The south aisle contains a three-light east window and three-light south-east window with reticulated tracery, with a buttress between them. A three-light window with renewed intersecting tracery stands east of the porch, and two-light windows with renewed Decorated tracery occupy the west and west end positions. Diagonal buttresses strengthen the angles. A fine south door displays a moulded inner arch with a carved stone head above it. Three outer arches follow, each with outer and inner arches and sunk quadrant mouldings; the middle arch is hollow-chamfered. Two shafts flank either side, bearing stiff-leaf capitals to the left and vine-leaf capitals to the right. The arch stones alternate between limestone and ironstone.

The south porch contains a renewed doorway with a blocked one-light window above framing a fine carved stone head. Diagonal buttresses and two-light straight-headed windows to north and south complete the porch.

The three-stage west tower, overlapped by the aisles, has diagonal buttresses to its west angles, a many-moulded west door, a one-light west window to the middle stage, and two-light Decorated bell openings. A battlemented parapet crowns the tower. Chamfered slits light the spiral stair on the north-west side of the door, succeeded by cross slits at bell-stage level. All windows and doors except the clerestory display hood moulds, some with fine label stops.

Internally, the chancel contains a double piscina and single seat sedilia. The tie beam roof was painted circa 1960 by Stephen Dykes Bower. A rood screen of three-light divisions divides the chancel from the nave.

The nave has a three-bay arcade with double-chamfered arches on piers bearing triple shafts to all four sides; one capital is carved with foliage whilst the north-east respond remains plain. Flat plastered ceilings cover the nave and aisles, with a small ribbed cupola at the centre of the nave ceiling.

A piscina with a cusped ogee arch and hood mould with label stops and finial stands at the south-east end of the south aisle.

The 19th-century stained glass east windows illuminate the chancel and aisles. Hanoverian Royal Arms hang in oil on canvas over the tower arch. Painted boards displaying the Commandments, Lord's Prayer, and Creed are mounted in the vestries. Cut-down box pews remain. Early 19th-century wall monuments are present.

Brasses commemorate Thomas Knaresburgh (died 1450) and his wife (died 1498), Henry Michell (died 1510) and his wife, and Alice Wyrley (died 1537).